Natives & Flower Perfumes

The box with little sampler bottles arrived yesterday as I was formulating a new perfume. It was a super busy day. I poured Vespertina samples in the morning, pondered packaging with Martha while eating delicious croquettas, crossed hills and valleys for a few more native plants and finished up the second edition of both Aurora and Lyra.

Vespertina, Lyra and Aurora currently make up the triad of our floral perfumes. Many new ones are in the works and will be released as as Spirit guides me. Some of you have had little sampler previews enclosed with your packages.

Although Lyra was released first, Aurora is the initial floral perfume I created. Back in the nineties I had sat down to recreate the aroma of carnations shortly following a Natural Perfumery class I had organized at the Bodhi Tree. Originally titled Experiment #2, Aurora has a spicy floral quality reminiscent of carnations. I consider both these botanical perfumes much simpler than the ones which followed. In fact “Q”, Chaparral, Vera, Vespertina and Sierra have quite a number of chords which are specific to them. I suppose it would be easier to develop one wood chord that would be used in all of of my perfumes. Alas, that is not how my inner artist functions. By the way, I prefer to use the word chord, instead of the French accord. My first perfume teacher used that name and it stuck. In most perfume circles you will notice they use the French accord. To be honest, I never quite understood the concept of using a word in a different language than the one we speak in. Perhaps this is because my first language is not English.

This morning I will be putting the native Salvias I purchased at the Theodore Payne Foundation into the dirt. The dirt chord I have been working on smells too much of patchouli, so that one will need some tinkering. The Three Graces are beckoning me and the new perfume needs her final accessories.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™
Greg Spalenka
Image at top and bottom ©Greg Spalenka, Carnation engraving placed on parchment by Roxana.

Pictures, Perfumes & Acoustics, Oh My!

“O great creator of being grant us one more hour
to perform our art and perfect our lives.”

~ Jim Morrison

Sunday there is an opening for Greg's art works at our local organic cafe. Along with the display of fantastical visions I will be there with botanical perfumes and “The Season of Us” will be adding their melodies to the sensorium. Master Chef Giuseppe will be delighting our taste buds with his organic delectable culinary offerings. The event begins at 2pm, Greg has promised the first ten attendees a free “Musing the Goddess” card set. The creatrix of Heartworks by Lori will also be there showcasing the necklaces and pendants featuring our artwork.

Cafe Carolina is located at 17934 Ventura Boulevard in Encino -- between White Oak and Lindley. For more information click here or call them at 818.881.8600.

Three inspired hours of artistry, friends and merriment. We look forward to seeing you!

Image at top "Bliss" ©Greg Spalenka, one of the many giclee prints at the exhibit.

The Sky is Open

We celebrated the earth this weekend in the Santa Monica mountains among divine beings. On Sunday we met some friends up in Topanga, hopped on bikes and scooters and made our way to the Topanga Earth Day Celebration. Through the chaparral scented breeze, winding amongst oaks,we headed toward our destination. I was very keen on meeting Cecilia Garcia, a Chumash Indian Medicine woman who was speaking on the medicinal qualities of California native plants. We parked our bikes at the base of the secret entrance and wound our way up the mountain. I shot off to the tipi where Cecilia and her comrade James Adams were standing before an array of sages, artemisias and other herbs. We were instructed to sit, take a stalk of white sage and break it where it wanted to be broken. After doing so we took the hollow piece and put it to our mouths like cigars. We breathed in through our mouths and out through our noses, taking in the energetics of the sage. As we did this we were also instructed to clean the leaves of our stalk, thus insuring even more communion with the plant. After soaking a plethora of information from Cecilia and James we ventured off to take in the very “hippesque” sights. To my enormous delight, one of my all time favorite songwriter/musicians was scheduled to perform within minutes. I couldn’t believe the good fortune. Donna De Lory is a musician I was introduced through one of my yoga instructors. Donna is local to Topanga, she melds ancient sanskrit chants with modern sounds seamlessly. So much so, that for me she is the voice of the Divine feminine. On stage she is even more magnetic, in person she is enchanting.












At the end of the day yesterday I was in bliss with profound gratitude for the earth, the native plants and our beautiful friends. The aroma of sage will now forever be affiliated with BLISS!

Cecilia Garcia does not have a website, however, she will be teaching at the Theodore Payne Foundation this May. We have been in contact with her and James about doing a class here in Woodland Hills. Stay tuned.
Chumash Healing with Native Plants at Theodore Payne Foundation

On May 3rd Donna De Lory will be appearing at Exhale in Venice and then traveling to the Omega Institute in NY. Here are various sites to visit and listen to her exquisite music.
Donna's website
and her blog.
The title of this journal entry is named after Donna's new album "The Sky is Open."

The photos were taken at Topanga Earth Day: a display of California native plants and Donna on the main stage with her band.